1. Jason
1.1. Primary Traits
1.1.1. Manipulative
1.1.1.1. "His answer was that he had been saved not by her, but by Aphrodite, who had made her fall in love with him, and that she owed him a great deal for bringing her to Greece, a civilized country," (179).
1.1.2. Unflinching
1.1.2.1. "But Jason withstood the fearful creatures as a great rock in the sea withstands the waves," (173).
1.2. Primary Motivation
1.2.1. To gain power and recognition from everyone around him.
1.2.1.1. "The idea of the great adventure was delightful to Jason. He agreed, and let it be known everywhere that this would be a voyage indeed," (164).
1.3. Superpower of specialized skill
1.3.1. having the Gods aid him/ Manipulation
1.4. Situational Archetype
1.4.1. The task
1.4.1.1. "So it shall be. But one thing must first be done. The dead Phrixus bids us bring back the golden fleece and thus bring back his spirit to his home," (164).
1.5. Harmartia
1.5.1. ambition
1.6. Reflection of Culture
1.6.1. The Greeks probably valued his courage to go after his crown, but his manipulative nature came back to haunt him.
1.7. Journey Archetype
1.7.1. The quest for Identity due to the fact that he would regain his rightful crown by bringing back the Golden Fleece.
1.7.1.1. "But one thing must first be done. The dead Phrixus bids us bring back the Golden Fleece and thus bring back his spirit to his home. The oracle has spoken. But for me, already old age is my companion, while the flower of your youth is only now coming into full bloom. Do you go upon this quest, and I swear with Zeus as witness that I will give up the kingdom and the sovereign rule to you"(164).
1.8. Heroic Archetype
1.9. Three characteristics of the Journey
1.9.1. The hero struggles for something valuable and important
1.9.1.1. "But one thing must first be done. The dead Phrixus bids us bring back the Golden Fleece and thus bring back his spirit to his home"(164).
1.9.2. The hero has help from divine or supernatural forces
1.9.2.1. "Hera was helping Jason, and it was she who kindled in each one the desire not to be left behind nursing a life without peril by his mother's side,"(164).
1.9.3. The hero meets monsters or monstrous men
1.9.3.1. "Their next adventure was with the Harpies, frightful flying creatures with hooked beaks and claw who always left behind them a loathsome stench, sickening to all living creatures"(165).
2. Perseus
2.1. Situational Archetype
2.1.1. The task
2.1.1.1. "He would go off and kill Medusa and bring back her head as his gift" (200).
2.2. Harmartia
2.2.1. pride
2.2.1.1. "It seemed that Perseus had been led by his angry pride into making an empty boast. No man unaided could kill Medusa"(200).
2.3. Primary Motivation
2.3.1. To be remembered and get rid of the cruel king
2.3.1.1. "Perseus instantly saw his opportunity. He went straight to the palace and entered the hall. As he stood at the entrance, Athena's shining buckler on his breast, the silver wallet at his side, he drew the eyes of every man there. Then before any could look away he held up the Gorgon's head; and at the sight one and all, the cruel King and his servile courtiers, were turned into stone"(207).
2.4. Primary Traits
2.4.1. brave
2.4.1.1. "He stood up before them all and did exactly what the King had hoped he would do, declared that he would give him a present better than any there. He would go off and kill Medusa and bring back her head as his gift" (200)
2.4.2. prideful
2.4.2.1. "It seemed that Perseus had been led by his angry pride into making an empty boast" (200).
2.5. Heroic Archetype
2.5.1. hero as a warrior
2.5.1.1. "Then he aimed a stroke down at Medusa's throat and Athena guided his hand. With a single sweep of his sword he cut through her neck and, his eyes still fixed on the shield with never a glance at her, he swooped low enough to seize the head. He dropped it into the wallet which closed around it. He had nothing to fear from it now"(203-204).
2.6. Three characteristics of the Journey
2.6.1. The hero is naive and inexperienced
2.6.1.1. "No man unaided could kill Medusa" (200).
2.6.2. The hero must go on a journey
2.6.2.1. "Now, indeed, Perseus had good reason to hope. The journey to the twilight land was long, over the stream of Ocean and on to the very border of the black country where the Cimmerians dwell, but Hermes was his guide and he could not go astray" (202).
2.6.3. The hero had help from divine or supernatural forces
2.6.3.1. "But Perseus was saved from his folly. Two great gods were watching over him"(200).
2.7. Superpower of specialized skill
2.7.1. gifts
2.7.1.1. "He himself, Hermes said, would give him a sword to attack Medusa with—which could not be bent or broken by the Gorgon's scales, no matter how hard they were" (202).
2.8. Reflection of Culture
2.8.1. The Greeks valued courage and Perseus would have been remembered for such a heroic task, this led to his impulsive decision to defeat Medusa.
2.9. Journey Archetype
2.9.1. The fool's errand. This is due to the fact that he was convinced to do a dangerous task that the King had hoped would lead to his death.
2.9.1.1. "He had nothing he could give. He was young and proud and keenly mortified. He stood up before them all and did exactly what the King had hoped he would do, declared that he would give him a present better than any there. He would go off and kill Medusa and bring back her head as his gift" (200).
3. Theseus
3.1. Primary Traits
3.1.1. compassionate
3.1.1.1. "Theseus, delighted at this warm-hearted action, answered, 'All I want is for you to be my friend and brother-in-arms'."(217)
3.1.2. smart
3.2. Primary Motivation
3.2.1. To become a great, well-known hero and to be known by his father.
3.2.1.1. "Hercules...was always on his mind, and the determination to be just as magnificent himself."(209)
3.3. Superpower of specialized skill
3.3.1. Strength
3.3.1.1. "...and with his fists-he had no other weapon-he battered the monster to death."(213)
3.4. Situational Archetype
3.4.1. The Initiation
3.4.1.1. "The child was a boy and he grew up strong far beyond others, so that when his mother finally took him to the stone he lifted it with no trouble at all."(209)
3.5. Tragic flaw
3.5.1. gullible
3.5.1.1. "Theseus was not spared. Artemis appeared to him and told him the truth. I do not come to bring you help, but only pain, To show you that your son was honorable. Your wife was guilty, mad with love for him, And yet she fought her passion and she died. But what she wrote was false"(222).
3.6. Reflection of Culture
3.6.1. Theseus was the dearest hero to the Athenians for his strength, compassion, and smarts.
3.6.1.1. "The great Athenian hero was Theseus. He had so many adventures and took part in so many great enterprises that there grew up a saying in Athens, "Nothing without Theseus"(208).
3.7. Journey Archetype
3.7.1. The quest for identity
3.7.1.1. ". His idea was to become a great hero as quickly as possible, and easy safety was certainly not the way to do that."(209)
3.8. Heroic Archetype
3.8.1. Hero as a warrior
3.8.1.1. "All loved him for his goodness and admired him for his nobility, but they had no idea that he intended to try to kill the Minotaur"(212).
3.9. Three characteristics of the Journey
3.9.1. The hero goes through a rite of passage or initiation, an event that marks a change from an immature to a more mature understanding of the world
3.9.1.1. "The child was a boy and he grew up strong far beyond others, so that when his mother finally took him to the stone he lifted it with no trouble at all. She told him then that the time had come for him to seek his father, and a ship was placed at his disposal by his grandfather"(209).
3.9.2. The hero engages in tests or contests of strength (physical and/or mental) and shows pride in his/her excellence
3.9.2.1. "This he did and, certain that he could retrace his steps whenever he chose, he walked boldly into the maze looking for the Minotaur. He came upon him asleep and fell upon him, pinning him to the ground; and with his fists—he had no other weapon—he battered the monster to death"(212-213).
3.9.3. The hero meets monsters or monstrous men
3.9.3.1. "The journey was long and very hazardous because of the bandits that beset the road. He killed them all, however; he left not one alive to trouble future travelers"(209).
4. Atalanta
4.1. Reflection of Culture
4.1.1. The culture obviously values men more than women due to the fact that she doesn't win in the end or have as many Journeys as Hercules.
4.1.1.1. "She was his. Her free days alone in the forest and her athletic victories were over"(251).
4.2. Primary Motivation
4.2.1. Proving her father that a daughter could do just as much as a son could.
4.2.1.1. "She in the end became more than their equal in all the arduous feats of a hunter's life"(246).
4.3. Primary Traits
4.3.1. Confident
4.3.1.1. "As a way of disposing of them easily and agreeably she declared that she would marry whoever could beat her in a foot race, knowing well that there was no such man alive"(249).
4.3.2. Independent
4.3.2.1. "She had no liking for men except as companions in the hunt and she was determined never to marry"(247).
4.4. Superpower of specialized skill
4.4.1. Huntress
4.5. Situational Archetype
4.5.1. The Unhealable Wound due to the fact that she was abandoned by her father because she was a girl and this seems to drive her to become a Hero.
4.5.1.1. "Atalanta's father, whatever his name was, when a daughter and not a son was born to him, was, of course, bitterly disappointed. He decided that she was not worthy bringing up and had the tiny creature left on a wild mountainside to die of cold and hunger"(246).
4.6. Harmartia
4.6.1. Overconfident
4.6.1.1. "As a way of disposing of them easily and agreeably she declared that she would marry whoever could beat her in a foot race, knowing well that there was no such man alive. She had a delightful time. Fleet Footed young men were always arriving to race with her and she always outran them. But at last one came who used his head as well as his heels. He knew he was not as good a runner as she, but he had a plan"(249-251).
4.7. Journey Archetype
4.7.1. The fall
4.7.1.1. "As she picked the apple up, her lover panting and almost winded touched the goal. She was his. Her free days alone in the forest and her athletic victories were over"(251).
4.8. Heroic Archetype
4.8.1. Female Hero
4.8.1.1. "Some of the heroes resented her presence and felt it beneath them to go hunting with a woman, but Meleager insisted and they finally gave in to him. It proved well for them"(247).
4.9. Three characteristics of the Journey
4.9.1. The origin of the hero is mysterious or the hero losses his/her parents at a young age, being raised by animals or a wise guardian
4.9.1.1. "A she-bear took charge of her, nursed her and kept her warm, and the baby grew up thus into an active, daring little girl"(246).
4.9.2. The hero engages in tests or contests of strength (physical and/or mental) and shows pride in his/her excellence
4.9.2.1. "Once two Centaurs, swifter and stronger by far than any mortal caught sight of her when she was alone and pursued her. She did not run from them; that would have been folly. She stood still and fitted an arrow to her bow and shot. A second arrow followed"(246).
4.9.3. The hero is special, one of a kind.
4.9.3.1. "who loved adventure as much as the most dauntless hero, and who could outshoot and outrun and outwrestle, too, the men of one of the two great ages of heroism"(246).
5. Hercules
5.1. Superpower of specialized skill
5.1.1. strength
5.1.1.1. "Hercules was the strongest man on earth and he had the supreme self-confidence magnificent physical strength gives. He considered himself on an equality with the gods-and with some reason"(225).
5.2. Tragic Flaw
5.2.1. Acting on emotions/ impulsivness
5.2.1.1. "He had sudden outbursts of furious anger which were always fatal to the often innocent objects"(227).
5.3. Primary Traits
5.3.1. Impulsive
5.3.1.1. "This power of deep feeling in a man of his tremendous strength was oddly endearing, but it worked immense harm, too"(226).
5.3.2. Strong
5.3.2.1. "Hercules was the strongest man on earth and he had the supreme self-confidence magnificent physical strength gives"(225).
5.4. Primary Motivation
5.4.1. Avenge his wife and kids
5.4.1.1. "He needed to be purified, she told him, and only a terrible penance could do that. She bade him go to his cousin Eurystheus, King of Mycenae (of Tiryns in some stories) and submit to whatever he demanded of him"(231).
5.5. Situational Archetype
5.5.1. The Unhealable Wound
5.5.1.1. "When all were completed and full expiation made for the death of his wife and children, he would seem to have earned ease and tranquility for the rest of his life. But it was not so. He was never tranquil and at ease"(236).
5.6. Reflection of Culture
5.6.1. The Greeks thought of Hercules as one of their best Heroes. He was Strong and defeated many monsters.
5.6.1.1. "The greatest hero of Greece was Hercules. He was a personage of quite another order from the great hero of Athens, Theseus. He was what all Greece except Athens most admired"(225).
5.7. Journey Archetype
5.7.1. The tragic quest: penance or self-denial
5.7.1.1. "She bade him go to his cousin Eurystheus, King of Mycenae (of Tiryns in some stories) and submit to whatever he demanded of him. He went willingly, ready to do anything that could make him clean again"(232).
5.8. Heroic Archetype
5.8.1. The Unbalanced Hero
5.8.1.1. "This power of deep feeling in a man of his tremendous strength was oddly endearing, but it worked immense harm, too. He had sudden outbursts of furious anger which were always fatal to the often innocent objects. When the rage had passed and he had come"(226)
5.9. Three characteristics of the Journey
5.9.1. The hero meets monsters or monstrous men
5.9.1.1. "His task was to bring Cerberus, the three-headed dog, up from Hades"(234).
5.9.2. The hero suffers an unhealable wound, sometimes an emotional or spiritual wound from which the hero never completely recovers.
5.9.2.1. "When all were completed and full expiation made for the death of his wife and children, he would seem to have earned ease and tranquility for the rest of his life. But it was not so. He was never tranquil and at ease"(236).
5.9.3. The hero is special, one of a kind. He/she might represent a whole nation or culture
5.9.3.1. "Hercules was the strongest man on earth"(225).
6. Odysseus
6.1. Primary Traits
6.1.1. Lucky
6.1.1.1. "These horrible folk destroyed all Odysseus' ships except the one he himself was in-which had not yet entered the harbor when the attack was made"(306).
6.1.2. smart
6.1.2.1. "At last it was decided that the next morning they should go to the house, Odysseus disguised of course,"(312).
6.2. Primary Motivation
6.2.1. to get back home to his family
6.2.1.1. "For Odysseus at last after long wandering had come home and every heart was glad"(319).
6.3. Superpower of specialized skill
6.3.1. Athena's help and his strength
6.3.1.1. "Athena told him how things were in his house and promised she would help him clear it of the suitors"(312).
6.4. Situational Archetype
6.4.1. The journey
6.4.1.1. "The next day in the presence of all the Phaeacian chiefs he told the story of his ten years' wandering"(305).
6.5. Harmartia
6.5.1. unthankful for the help the gods had given them
6.5.1.1. "The Greeks went mad with victory the night they entered the city; they forgot what was due to the gods; and on their voyage home they were terribly punished"(291).
6.6. Reflection of Culture
6.6.1. The story of Odysseus is a story of a wise well known hero.
6.6.1.1. "They are used with admirable skill to enliven the story and make it seem real, never to hold it up or divert the readers attention from the main issue"(291).
6.7. Journey Archetype
6.7.1. The epic journey
6.7.1.1. "For Odysseus at last after long wandering had come home and every heart was glad"(319).
6.8. Heroic Archetype
6.8.1. Hero as a warrior
6.8.1.1. "But Odysseus kept his courage. He held them off with his sharp weapon until he saw the ghost of Teiresias"(309).
6.9. Three characteristics of the Journey
6.9.1. The hero must go on a journey, learn a lesson, change in some way, and return home
6.9.1.1. "[...] and at last after twenty years Odysseus had entered his dear dwelling"(314).
6.9.2. The hero returns to the land of his/her birth in disguise or as an unknown
6.9.2.1. "Still he did not reveal himself, but kept his face hard as iron"(315).
6.9.3. The hero meets monsters or monstrous men
6.9.3.1. "Their next adventure was with the Cyclops Polyphemus,"(306).